More than 90 supervisory positions have been posted as vacant. Everything from finance executives to gender academy leaders to curriculum directors is being sought.

Current administrators are not on contract and are considered at-will employees.

School Board member Darren Washington said the mass search allows new graduates, seasoned workers from other districts and former Gary residents looking for professional jobs to come to the city.

“We've opened these positions so people outside the community can apply. Many have complained there are no job opportunities for people to come back to Gary,” Washington said.

“There's a lot of talent that used to live here but left due to a lack of economic development. We want that talent to come back or at the very least submit resumes. These are good jobs that you can use to raise families.”

The district is in a phase of change, using new initiatives, such as gender academies, to boost achievement. Washington said they are looking for people committed to improvement.

After applying at the school service center, qualified applicants will be interviewed by an administrative team chosen by Superintendent Mary Steele and then recommended by Steele to the board.

Washington said he'd like to have two to three people recommended for each position and have an independent consultant also doing interviews and recommendations “so we can make an informed choice without prejudice or favoritism.”

While board members will get a final vote, they will not participate in interviews.

In last year's mass search, many administrative positions received no letters of interest.

“We want to see resumes. We want to see what talent is out there,” Washington said.

But 'out there' doesn't necessarily mean in-house people will be overlooked: “Some administrators serving as assistants have done good jobs. Now they have the opportunity to be principals,” he said.

School Board member Alex Wheeler said he'd also like to take a closer look at in-house talent: “I think we should first look at the people we have and see if we want them. We have to make sure we have the right people in place if we're going to move district forward,” Wheeler said.

Contact Sharlonda L. Waterhouse at 648-3085 or swaterhouse@post-trib.com